I Promised
by astoryofus
Summary: When Blaine made her promise not to tell anyone, Kate never thought it would come to this. Now her best friend is in the hospital, and she knows things won't be the same again. But one thing's for sure: she'll be there for him, no matter what. Story inspired by the cover image; warning for abuse.
1. Prologue

"Blaine, we need to tell someone."

"No." He winced as he adjusted the ice pack against his right side, where a large purple bruise the size of a saucer had formed. Exactly what happened and how he got it, he had refused to say, only wordlessly removing his shirt and showing Kate the end result of last night's incident.

"What if next time it's worse than this? Or all the other times?"

"I can take care of myself, Kate."

Learning to box obviously hasn't helped, she thought, but she didn't tell him that. Instead she picked up his discarded shirt from the edge of her bed and sat down beside him, neatly folding the shirt in her lap. "But, Blaine, what if he-"

"I just need to stay clear of him when he's drunk, okay? I've already done it a few times. Last night I was just unlucky-"

"This isn't about luck," she said quietly, fiddling with the collar of his shirt between her fingers. "No one should ever be treated like this in their own home. For any reason." She paused. "And especially not by their dad."

"Kate, we've gone through this before," said Blaine, a hint of annoyance entering his voice. "And you promised."

"I know I did, and I shouldn't have. Especially when you show up like this, with another bruise or welt or..." She trailed off, not wanting to start crying. Blaine shifted beside her, and she could almost hear him wince as he slowly put an arm around her.

"I can handle this, okay?" He squeezed her shoulder gently and pulled her as close as he could while still holding the ice pack between them.

"I'm just... worried about you, Blaine. Every time you go home, I worry until you tell me if your dad's home or not, if he's drunk or not-"

"I'll be fine." He pulled her closer and breathed deeply. "I promise."

Kate wanted to argue, to ask him how he could promise such thing. But somehow she knew he would keep it, so all she said in return was, "Okay."

* * *

_Author's Note:  
Thank you for reading. I honestly hope the story and my writing gets better from here onwards.  
Also, I do not own any recognizable characters. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr._


	2. Chapter 1

_Thought I'd try a different writing style for this chapter. I debated whether to write it in prose, but I think this works better._

* * *

_**Blaine**__ 19:53:29 - "Hey, stranger. :) I'm home."  
__**Blaine**__ 19:53:38 - "Home alone for now."_

_**Kate **__19:53:51 - "So bored. :/ Too early for bed. Any ideas?"_

_**Blaine **__19:54:12 - "TV?"_

_**Kate **__19:54:38 - "Been flipping channels since you left. Nothing good."  
__**Kate **__19:54:53 - "Didn't think it'd be this boring at home with Luke at bball camp."_

_**Blaine**__ 19:55:13 - "You'll be in London in 2 weeks. Won't be boring then."__**  
Blaine**__ 19:55:24 - "Where's Tony?"_

**_Kate_**_ 19:55:37 - "Still at work. Night shift till next week, I think."  
__**Kate**__ 19:55:46 - "2 weeks is a long way off."  
__**Kate**__ 19:56:03 - "Wish you were coming."_

_**Blaine**__ 19:56:56 - "He'll never let me. Besides, it's your time with family."_

_**Kate**__ 19:57:02 - "Yeah, well, YOU'RE family, too. :P"_

_**Blaine**__ 19:57:25 - "I'm touched. :3"_

_**Kate**__ 19:57:42 - "Still. Bored."_

_**Blaine **__19:57:58 - "OK..."  
__**Blaine**__ 19:57:03 - "Wanna try sexting?"_

_**Kate **__19:58:16 - "Oh my God, you're disgusting."_

_**Blaine**__ 19:58:28 - "Just heard them mention it in the locker room."  
__**Blaine **__19:58:37 - "Just curious..."  
__**Blaine **__19:59:39 - "Hello? Still there?"  
__**Blaine**__ 20:00:04 - "I'm taking a shower."  
_**_Blaine_**_ 20:11:53 - "Are you really going to ignore me?"  
__**Blaine**__ 20:12:06 - ":'("  
__**Blaine**__ 20:12:35 - "Okay, fine, no sexting."_

_**Kate **__20:12:49 - "Little Mermaid on Disney. Wanna watch?"_

**_Blaine_**_ 20:12:57 - "Ah, one of my all-time favs. Why not?"  
__**Blaine**__ 20:13:16 - "Perfect way to end the night."_

_**Kate**__ 21:40:33 - "So sleepy. *yawn*"  
__**Kate**__ 21:40:45 - "Going to bed."_

_**Blaine**__ 21:41:08 - "Meet you at the Cafe for breakfast?"_

_**Kate**__ 21:41:52 - "Affirmative. 8AM."  
__**Kate**__ 21:42:03 - "Good night, Blaine. :) See you tomorrow!"_

_**Blaine**__ 21:43:01 - "Good night, Kate. :) See you at 8!"_

_**Kate**__ 22:29:46 - 1 Missed Call from Blaine_

_**Blaine **__22:30:05 - "He's home."  
__**Blaine **__22:30:39 - "He's still downstairs. Sounds drunk. I'm in my room, door's locked."_

_**Kate **__22:30:54 - "Stay in there, okay? Be safe."_

_**Blaine**__ 22:31:02 - "I know."  
__**Blaine**__ 22:37:29 - "Shoot. Left the prom photos and Patrick's letter in the kitchen."_

_**Kate**__ 22:37:43 - "Leave them. Don't leave your room."_

_**Blaine**__ 22:37:52 - "Can't let him see them."  
__**Blaine**__ 22:38:03 - "He might burn them or something."  
__**Blaine**__ 22:38:15 - "Text you again in a few. Wish my ninja skills luck."_

_**Kate**__ 22:38:19 - "DON'T"  
__**Kate**__ 22:40:49 - "BLAINE?"_

_**Blaine**__ 22:41:12 - 1 Missed Call from Kate_

_**Kate**__ 22:45:56 - "ANSWER ME"_

_**Blaine**__ 22:46:01 - 2 Missed Calls from Kate  
__**Blaine **__22:48:32 - 3 Missed Calls from Kate_

_**Kate**__ 22:55:34 - "BLAINE"_

_**Blaine**__ 22:55:41 - 4 Missed Calls from Kate  
__**Blaine**__ 22:56:12 - 5 Missed Calls from Kate  
__**Blaine**__ 23:00:16 - 6 Missed Calls from Kate_

_**Kate**__ 23:02:43 - "PLEASE ANSWER"_  
_**Kate**__ 23:06:27 - "If by 11:30 I don't get a reply, I'm coming over."_

_**Blaine**__ 23:09:55 - 7 Missed Calls from Kate_

_**Kate**__ 23:17:16 - "BLAINE?"_  
_**Kate**__ 23:30:01 - "On my way"_

* * *

_Author's Note:  
I do not own any recognizable characters. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr._


	3. Chapter 2

Usually the bike ride from her house to Blaine's took at least twenty minutes at a leisurely pace, including stops at traffic lights. Tonight, Kate had to get there sooner. She pedaled as fast as she could and ignored all the red lights, speeding down the quiet avenue and across intersections. Thankfully, there were few cars at this time of night.

She barely noticed the trees and houses and establishments as she sped by. She couldn't stop. Not when Blaine failed to reply to her texts or answer her calls. Especially on nights like this. Because he always did. "I'll be okay," Blaine had told her a few months back. "I promise."

_You'd better be okay, Blaine Anderson_, she thought as she turned left, then right onto a different drive. She tried not to imagine why Blaine stopped responding earlier. _Please be okay._ She could feel her legs starting to burn from exertion. _Just four more streets._

Thirteen minutes since leaving her house, Kate finally turned onto Blaine's neighborhood and slowed down as she neared the Andersons', her heart thumping in her chest. The first thing she noticed was that there were no lights on inside the large house, which was weird. Blaine liked to keep at least the downstairs lights on when he was home.

Coming to a stop on the sidewalk, Kate pulled her phone out of her pocket to check if Blaine had sent any replies or called her back. He hadn't. She slipped her phone back into her jeans.

She freed the flashlight she used as bike light from its mount, hefting its solid aluminum body in her right hand. It wasn't the most ideal object she could use to defend herself - _if_ she needed to - but it was better than nothing. She had a good idea of what Blaine's father was capable of under the influence of alcohol.

Leaving her bike on the grass, Kate walked quickly but quietly towards the front door. She paused when she reached the front steps to glance at the garage, which was off to one side of the house. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried when she saw that the door was raised and the garage was empty.

If he was really drunk as Blaine had said, Mr. Anderson would have been in no condition to drive himself home. He could have left his car at work - or wherever he'd had more than a few drinks - taken a cab home, and was currently still inside the house. Or, he might not have been as drunk as Blaine thought and had driven home by himself, only driving off sometime between Blaine's last text and Kate's arrival. Either way, Kate had to make sure Blaine was okay, with or without his drunk father inside the house.

Tightening her grip on her flashlight, she knocked on the front door with her other hand. No answer. She waited a few seconds more before ringing the doorbell. Twice. She pressed an ear against the door, listening hard. Silence. Biting her lip, she tried the door latch and jumped in surprise when it actually turned. The door wasn't locked.

Something was really wrong, she could feel it. She opened the door fully and took a tentative step into the foyer. "Blaine?" she shouted, as loud as she dared. "Mr. Anderson?" Still no one answered.

Kate switched on her flashlight and slowly advanced into the living room, keeping her back to the wall. She remembered where the light switch was from her previous visits and flicked it on. She blinked furiously at the sudden light, trying to find any sign of Blaine. Or his father. There was no one else the living room.

She moved into the hallway beyond, wiping one sweaty palm on her shirt. She spotted a faint strip of light at the end of the hallway and squinted. "Blaine?" Louder this time. It took her a moment to realize that the lights were on in the kitchen, the door to which was slightly ajar. Her stomach dropped. _The kitchen_. "Blaine?" she yelled.

A distant, metallic clang was all the response she needed. All caution abandoned, Kate sprinted towards the kitchen and pushed the swing door open.

"Blaine!"

* * *

_Author's Note:  
I do not own any recognizable characters. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr._


	4. Chapter 3

_This chapter is the longest by far, with some _OTH _and some _ER _mixed in. Both AU, as well. Please try to focus on Blaine and Kate, though. :)_

_Update as of May 2: Modified this chapter a little bit._

* * *

Kate didn't even hear her flashlight clatter against the hardwood. She hurried to where Blaine lay, nearly tripping over a leather belt on the floor. He was curled up on his left side, facing away from her and the door. There was an upturned baking tray beside him, which explained the noise she heard earlier.

"Blaine," she whispered breathlessly, kneeling down beside him. "It's me. I'm here."

He groaned in response, slowly twisting around onto his back. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain, his teeth gritted. Kate reminded herself to stay calm.

Blood covered most of the left side of his face, having flowed from a nasty-looking gash above his temple and forming a puddle on the floor. The skin under his right eye was red and slightly swollen, and he had a cut on his lower lip. There were welts - some of them oozing blood - and more bruises on his arms, which were currently wrapped protectively around his ribs. Kate suspected that at least one was fractured or broken. He might even have internal injuries without her knowing it.

"Kate," gasped Blaine, squinting at her from barely-open eyes. His navy pajamas were drenched in sweat. "Hurts. Can't b-breathe. Help..."

"I know, Blaine, I know." She wrenched open one of the drawers where she knew the Andersons kept freshly washed dishtowels and grabbed one. She pressed it gently but firmly against Blaine's head wound, causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry. Just hang on, okay? Hang on," she said, using her other hand to pull her phone out. She furiously wiped away the forming tears from her eyes with the back of her hand so that she could see properly. Blaine needed her to be strong.

She dialed a number she knew all too well; her mother used to work there, and now her godfather Tony was. The line rang thrice. "_Tree Hill General ER, how may I help you?_"

Kate recognized the female voice immediately. "Sam?" She was a nurse at the ER, not the desk clerk, so Kate could't help but feel slightly confused. But there was no time for questions. "It's Kate."

"_Kate?_" Surprise was evident in Sam's voice. "_Are you okay?_"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Blaine's not." People working at the ER knew Blaine from when he and Kate volunteered there last summer. "I'm at his house, 416 Crete Drive, and we need an ambulance," continued Kate, keeping her voice composed even though she was terrified. "He's hurt. Bad. He's bleeding from a head wound, but I've put pressure on it. I think he might have broken a few ribs, he said he has trouble breathing." She heard Sam typing away at her keyboard.

"_ETA is seven minutes, Kate. Is Blaine's head wound still bleeding?_"

Kate removed the towel and gingerly pushed away some of Blaine's dark curls to take a better look. "No, it's stopped."

"_Okay. Does he have other external injuries you can tell me about?_"

Kate roamed her eyes over her best friend's tense body. "Several welts, cuts, bruises on his arms. A black eye and a split lip."

"_Okay, Kate, can you check Blaine's ribs for me? I need you to tell me if there's any broken skin._"

"Hang on." She put the phone on the floor beside her and leaned over Blaine, trying to move his arms from around his torso. "Blaine," she said softly when he whimpered in protest, "It's okay. I just need to see if you're bleeding, alright? Come on..."

Blaine swallowed and slowly relaxed his arms, allowing Kate to lower them gently to the floor. It took a few moments of fumbling with the buttons before she was finally able to open his shirt.

_Damn. _She couldn't help but grimace at seeing Blaine's exposed skin. And that was considering she'd seen plenty of his injuries before. She took a deep breath and picked up her phone. "Sam, I don't see any broken skin. There's a lot more bruises and welts, though... A lot." She held back a sob.

"_Okay, we just need to make sure he stays still until the paramedics arrive. They should be there in about... four minutes._" There was a pause on the other end of the line. "_Kate, can you tell me what happened?_"

"I'm not sure," said Kate, stalling. She glanced back at the discarded belt near the door. She had a very good idea, but she didn't want to talk about it right now. And not over the phone. "I found him like this."

A longer pause. No doubt Sam was wondering why Kate was at Blaine's house this late. "_Does Tony know?_" She and Tony had been dating for a while now.

Kate bit her lip. "No. Could you please tell him for me? I'll- I'll follow the ambulance on my bike. I know they won't let me ride with them because I'm not eighteen yet. And I'm not family."

"_Alright, they're almost there._" As if on cue, Kate heard sirens in the distance. "_I'll tell Tony to expect you. You've done a great job, Kate. Blaine's lucky to have you there._"

_He wouldn't be here like this if I'd done things differently_, thought Kate. But all she said was, "Thanks."

Another pause. "_Do you want me to stay on the line till they get there?_"

"I think I can handle it," said Kate. Blaine was now trying to raise his right arm towards her, with little success. She quickly slipped her hand into his, and he grasped it weakly. "Thanks again, Sam. I really appreciate it." The sirens had grown louder.

Kate disconnected the call and turned her attention to Blaine, who was now looking at her through half-lidded eyes. She was suddenly unsure whether he could see or hear her. His breathing was shallower, and his body wasn't as tense. _He's slipping._

"Hey, stranger," she said, her voice higher than normal. She swallowed and cleared her throat. Tears spilled from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, sniffling. She had to be strong. For Blaine. "Help'll be here any minute now." She squeezed his hand gently as the sirens sounded from right outside the house. "You'll be okay, Blaine."

She felt his grip on her hand tighten, however slightly. "Will be... I promise," he whispered, giving her a ghost of his charming smile.

Kate tried to return it with a smile of her own. "Okay," she said, leaning in close and planting a kiss against Blaine's damp curls. "I'll hold you to that."

* * *

_Author's Note:  
I do not own any recognizable characters, places, etc. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr.  
I also have no expertise or experience in medical situations, relying only on online information and my imagination._


	5. Chapter 4

_"You'll be okay, Blaine."_

_She felt his grip on her hand tighten, however slightly. "Will be... I promise," he whispered, giving her a ghost of his charming smile._

_Kate tried to return it with a smile of her own. "Okay," she said, leaning in close and planting a kiss against Blaine's damp curls. "I'll hold you to that."_

* * *

Tony was waiting in the ambulance bay. As Kate drew closer on her bike, she saw the worried expression on her godfather's face give way to one of relief.

"Tony!" She all but dropped her bike, running straight into his arms. He didn't say or ask anything, simply pulled her close and held her tight. After finding Blaine in such bad shape at his house, Kate had been so terrified that she just wanted to cry. (Just not in front of Blaine.) So now she finally did, and Tony let her - even if he didn't have the vaguest idea of what was going on.

It was hard to believe that only hours ago she and Blaine were laughing over dinner at her house. A few minutes and one text had changed everything. And the nightmare was far from over. The paramedics mentioned something about a collapsed lung while moving Blaine onto a stretcher, and the thought that he was hurt more seriously than Kate had thought made everything feel worse. Infinitely worse.

She couldn't help but think that this was, in a way, _her _fault. The thought occupied her mind during the entire bike ride to the hospital. If she had just told someone - like Tony - the very moment Blaine told her about his dad, then maybe things would have turned out differently. She and Blaine could be asleep in their beds tonight, waking up the next day for a breakfast date at the cafe. Then again, if she _had_ told someone, Blaine could also have ended up in foster care or something. He might even have had to move away to live with relatives he barely knew. _If_ they would have him, that is. It was really all too much to think about right now.

"Feeling better?" asked Tony, a short while after Kate finally stopped crying. She nodded against his tear-stained shoulder before he gently pulled away, holding her at arm's length. He glanced at the messenger bag slung over her shoulder, and Kate knew that he knew it was Blaine's schoolbag. "Before anything else, Kate, I want you to know that I'm proud of you, and what you did for Blaine. Sam told me you handled things like a pro."

Kate wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. "I just did what I had to. Like you and mom taught me." She didn't deserve praise. Blaine wouldn't have needed her there in the first place if she'd... _Enough_, she told herself firmly. _No more ifs. Just focus. Focus on Blaine._ "Where is he?" she asked.

"Trauma. They brought him in about fifteen minutes ago." She started towards the double doors to the ER, but Tony held her firmly in place. "Not so fast, young lady. You still have some explaining to do," he said, fixing her with concerned eyes. "For one, why were you at the Anderson's - at _midnight_? I thought we'd agreed on a curfew, and that you should tell me if you're going somewhere."

Kate took a deep but shaky breath. She may be unable to change the past, but right now there was something she could do - it was time to tell someone. "It's a long story, Tony."

"Then let's find somewhere we can talk."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_This has been in my drafts for a long while, and I still haven't gotten to deciding how best to proceed. Do I stick to Kate's POV, or try writing from Blaine's? In the meantime I hope you enjoyed this filler chapter._

_I do not own any recognizable characters, places, etc. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr.  
__I also have no expertise or experience in medical situations, relying only on online information and my imagination.__  
_


	6. Chapter 5

_Updated July 19: Think I rather rushed to publish this chapter; just added/changed some minor details._

* * *

Kate had sneaked up to the fifth floor using the stairs - because no one used them, according to Tony, and it was not in view of the nurses' station. She quickly but quietly walked down the corridor, keen to avoid any of the nurses on shift. After all, 3AM was hardly within visiting hours, and she'd be in trouble if she got caught. Even if and more so because her godfather worked in the ER.

So far, though, she was lucky. _Blaine's not the only one with ninja skills._

She peeked around a corner to check if the coast was clear, then turned into the next corridor and finally arrived outside 505. Blaine's room. Knowing she was pushing her luck with each passing second, she took a deep breath and let herself inside.

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Heck, not even Tony briefing her on Blaine's injuries could have truly prepared her for the sight of her best friend unconscious on a hospital bed.

No, she wouldn't use the term "sleeping." She knew what Blaine looked like when he was asleep, and this was definitely not the same. He had an IV catheter in his left hand. Not to mention that his left arm was in a sling, which was probably to help his broken collarbone heal. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, which was beeping steadily. The upper half of the bed was slightly raised at an angle, so that Blaine wasn't lying flat on his back.

"Hey stranger," she said softly as she stepped closer, well-aware of the possibility that he couldn't hear her. She felt like she had to say something, though.

Removing the messenger bag from her shoulder, she placed it in the chair beside the bed before moving next to Blaine. Slowly she took his right hand into hers and squeezed it gently. It was reassuringly warm - the same way it always was.

Relief flooded through Kate, now that she'd seen for herself that Blaine was okay. Well, _relatively_. At the very least, he was here, alive and breathing, right? But guilt had settled deep within her - mind, heart and soul - and she doubted it would go away anytime soon. It probably never will, even if Tony had told her this wasn't her fault.

How could she _not_ blame herself? She'd known about what was going on, and she'd let her fear of losing their friendship outweigh the risk of losing Blaine to the secret she promised to keep in the first place. Stupid. And now here he was. Alive, yes, but who was she kidding? Everything was never going to be the same from now on.

The police had informed them that Mr. Anderson was in custody. Apparently he had drunk-driven his car into the town's welcome sign at past midnight and, barring any injuries, was immediately brought to the precinct. Because the authorities now knew what he'd done to his son, he was going to be detained further under suspicion of child abuse and assault. And that was without formal charges being filed... yet. On the other hand, Blaine's stepmom was still in the midst of divorcing him. As far as Kate was concerned, Blaine was most welcome to live with her, Lucas and Tony, but she was mature enough to know that things weren't so simple. There were other questions that needed-

Her cellphone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, reminding her that Tony was waiting downstairs to take her home. She quickly tapped out "5 mins" and hit the _Send _button to let him know.

Turning sideways, she used her free hand to reach into the bag's side pocket and pull out Blaine's cellphone, along with the folded note she'd written earlier while in the waiting room. It read:

**_Blaine,_**

**_The photo & letter are safe with me. I'll be back during  
visiting hours, but here's your cellphone, just in case._**

**_With love,  
Kate_**

**_P.S. You're not alone. I love you, don't forget._**

She slipped them into Blaine's hand and leaned over to kiss him on the temple. "I'm glad you're okay, Blaine," she whispered. "I'm sorry I can't stay with you, but I'll be back later. I promise."

With that, she gave his hand a final squeeze before slinging his bag back over her shoulder and leaving the room.

* * *

_Author's Note:  
I do not own any recognizable characters, places, etc. Nor do I own the cover image for this story - credit goes to gala000085 on Tumblr.  
I also have no expertise or experience in medical situations, relying only on online information and my imagination._


End file.
